Dogs, missionaries, drifters, munchkins, the mentally ill: all these have helped me better understand our high holyday liturgy. Here are five essays I wrote in their honour, exploring themes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

God Lives on Main Street (Malchuyot)

Heart of Compassion (Unetaneh Tokef)

Along the Yellow Brick Road (Teshuva, tefilla, tzedakah)

I Swear to God (Kol Nidre)

For My Sins, A to Z (Al Cheyt)

Image: Drifter by GAVade, gavade.deviantart.com